Cardboard Turning Pioneer Visits the School of Art and DesignRecently the Woodworking and Furniture Design studio areas hosted visiting artist Jason Schneider. Schneider is the studio coordinator of the furniture design and woodworking program at The Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. Schneider's work and artistic research has long included the use of cardboard. Schneider is one of few furniture makers working with cardboard as a primary material and he has developed many of his own techniques for working and turning cardboard.
While on campus, Schneider provided a demonstration of cardboard turning for upper-level students, the current woodturning and bending class (AD 224), as well as members of the Superiorland Woodturners. Schneider was also able to meet with upper-level furniture and woodworking students to provide valuable feedback about their portfolios and professional work. Schneider's energy in the shop was apparent for weeks after his visit, with many students considering new approaches to materials and working practices.
jasonschneiderfurniture.com/home.html
The Anderson Ranch Art Center
www.andersonranch.org/
Woodworking and Furniture Design
art.nmu.edu/department/furn_product_wood.html
May 09, 2013
Professor Rajagopal Presents Workshop Featuring Grant Funded LetterpressThe coming together of tradition (letterpress) and modern technology (platemaking facility) has provided students in the School of Art and Design with the opportunity to experiment with alternative methods of production. The letterpress was added to the graphics program by Professor Shravan Rajagopal in 2011 and has been in active use for more than a year. A photopolymer platemaker was added to the letterpress facility and was inaugurated this winter semester in a workshop instructed by Professor Rajagopal with over 15 participants. The platemaker enables students to transfer their digital artwork on to photopolymer plates. The process begins with exposing the photopolymer plate for a programmed duration using a digital negative of the artwork. The plate is then placed in a washer unit that helps rinse away areas that are unexposed. Once the plate is dry, it can be easily mounted on to an aluminum base and printed using the letterpress. The letterpress and platemaking facility was funded by the Wildcat Innovation Fund grant award. (Photograph by Dennis Staffne)
art.nmu.edu/department/graphic_comm.html
Printmaking
art.nmu.edu/department/print.html
May 09, 2013
Student Work Selected for Exhibition at ICFF 2013 New YorkSenior Furniture Design student, Brendan Solinsky was among 12 students from across the country selected to exhibit work at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York. As part of a call for entries hosted by the Furniture Society and sponsored by Powermatic, selected student's work will be on display at ICFF May 18-21. As a part of the work being on view in New York, Powermatic has also created an online gallery and competition with voting for "The People's Choice Award." The student receiving the most votes will win a Powermatic bandsaw.
"Table Chair" by Solinsky, features a design focused for a small space and serves as multi-functional furniture. "Table Chair" can be repositioned into a variety of forms, a feature Solinsky identified as "a major concern in small living environments". Solinsky's work can be voted for as part of the Powermatic competition. Voting will expire on May 20th when the winner of the competition will be announced.
www.powermaticstudentvote.com/
International Contemporary Furniture Fair
www.icff.com/
Woodworking and Furniture Design
art.nmu.edu/department/furn_product_wood.html
May 02, 2013
NMU and Bay College Enter Agreement on Art and Design ProgramsNorthern Michigan University and Bay de Noc Community College of Escanaba have entered into a three-year articulation agreement that provides a direct path from an associate in art degree to a bachelor of fine arts (BFA) degree. Under the pact, students who complete Bay College's two-year program can transfer to NMU to pursue a BFA in one of four concentrations: painting and drawing, ceramics, photography or graphic communication."
The agreement is a benefit to transferring students as it creates a more transparent transition between Bay and NMU," said NMU Professor Stephan Larson. "It creates a structure in which students can complete a bachelor of fine arts (BFA) degree in four years: two years at Bay and two years at NMU. Bay is one of the first schools that had a sufficiently similar curricular structure to NMU's School of Art and Design to create articulation agreements in photography, graphic communication, drawing/painting, and ceramics."
Beth Noreus, Bay transfer adviser and coordinator, added, "Articulation agreements provide a clearly-defined set of courses that will allow students to have a seamless transfer while identifying all of the courses that will be need for degree completion. This is a win-win agreement for our respective colleges and students." Prepared by Kristi Evans NMU News Director.
http://www.nmu.edu/communicationsandmarketing/node/18?articleID=171845&&display=all
March 05, 2013
Professor Kakas Invited to Exhibit Works at Galateea Galley in Bucharest, RomaniAssistant Professor of Ceramics, Brian Kakas, was invited to participate in the 3rd International Ceramics Now Exhibition held in Bucharest, Romania. Artworks included in this exhibition were created by 22 artists from 14 different countries and selected by the Asociatia Ceramics Organization. The organization based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, produces an international ceramic journal that published a review of Professor Kakas' works in the January 2012 publication. While in attendance at the exhibit, Kakas presented lectures at The University of Art & Design, Cluj- Napoca and University of Bucharest. Kakas has been invited to return to Bucharest for a residency by the Romanian Fine Art Union where he will produce work for an exhibition and conduct workshops.
Ceramics Now Magazinewww.ceramicsnow.org/openlectures
Brian Kakas
www.briankakas.com
Ceramics
art.nmu.edu/department/ceramics.html
February 04, 2013
Student Art Exhibition at the William Bonifas Arts CenterA student exhibition from Northern Michigan University's School of Art and Design is currently on display at the William Bonifas Fine Art Center in Escanaba, Michigan. The exhibit is designed to feature the diverse studio arts being created in completion of undergraduate degrees. The title, "No B.S. (or B.F.A.) Yet!" denotes the students current status of currently working on but not finished with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree. Students selected for the exhibition first were required to successfully complete their junior year portfolio review and receive support from their major professor. This exhibition provides a showcase for the individual pursuits of the students involved and highlights the work of advanced students from multiple studio areas of the school. The exhibit will be on display through the end of February.
The William Bonifas Arts Centerwww.bonifasarts.org
January 29, 2013
Visiting Artist Professor Cory Robinson Presents Lectures and Critiques The Woodworking and Furniture Design program recently hosted visiting artist, Cory Robinson, the first of several artists slated to visit the school over the next few years because of a newly funded grant. Robinson is the current Chair of Fine Art at the Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis, Indiana. In addition to his teaching, Robinson is a full time furniture maker and his work is show nationally. Robinson is currently on sabbatical and will be exploring new work in time spent at The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts as well as The Anderson Ranch Arts Center.
During his brief visit to the school, Robinson presented a lecture on his work, hosted individual critiques with students and participated in an ongoing project that is part of the Devos Art Museum's current exhibition "You Complete Me."
coryrobinsonstudio.com.
Woodworking and Furniture Design
art.nmu.edu/department/furn_product_wood.html
October 12, 2012
Professor Pless Invited to Exhibit at the Salon Satellite and NeoconIn April of 2012 Associate Professor Peter Pless was invited back to Milan, Italy for and exhibition of new designs at the Salone Satellite. The "Link Series" consisted of three new modular designs that articulate amongst each other allowing for a range of sculptural configurations specific to the need and function. The international exhibition showcased the work of young designers from all continents and attracted close to 50,000 visitors to this year's fair.
Following the Salone Satellite, Professor Pless was invited to exhibit the "Link Series" in Chicago, Illinois at the Merchandise Mart for North America's largest design exposition and conference for commercial interiors, "NeoCon." Professor Pless's designs were displayed in the "Materials Pavilion" curated by Interiors and Sources magazine. BTD Powder Coating, Material Intelligence and Interiors and Sources Magazine sponsored this showcase. (photograph by Christine Flavin)
www.cosmit.it/en/milano/i_saloni/salonesatellite/catalogue2012_satellite
Peter Pless
www.peterpless.com/
Human Centered Design
art.nmu.edu/department/human.html
September 05, 2012
Lautner Article By Museum Director Published in the Michigan History Magazine DeVos Art Museum Director and Curator Melissa Matuscak recently had an article published in the Michigan History Magazine. The article is the first comprehensive biography published about architect John Lautner, including his family history in Marquette. Lautner is an alumni of Northern Michigan University (BS '33) and was a fellow at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin from 1933-1939. Lautner established a very successful architectural firm in Los Angeles and is considered one of the preeminent architects of the Modernist period. The article follows an exhibition on Lautner at the DeVos Art Museum in 2011, which was featured on NPR's Morning Edition. Matuscak is a 2002 graduate of NMU, with a BFA in Graphic Communications. She received an MA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2007.
Michigan History Magazinewww.hsmichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/JulyAug_Lautner.pdf
NPR's Morning Edition John Lautner Exhibition
www.npr.org/2011/12/03/143053176/nature-and-design-meet-in-lautners-modern-homes
DeVos Art Museum
art.nmu.edu/department/museum/index.htm
July 23, 2012